Passenger Trains > Amtrak Metroliner Club Class

So I know the basic story of Amtrak's 20th Century first class offering using 40 or so odd Amclub cars with 18 2+1 seats which are still in service today on certain trains as a business class. Unfortunately I have had a hard time finding any information on what the service was like beyond 1 or 2 menus. Did anyone here ever take advantage of the Club Class and if so can they perhaps comment on what sort of food and beverages were available/included, the cost/value for money, lounge access, method of service (dedicated attendant, self service, etc) and any other pertinent details. I've recently taken an interest in comparing today's premium services with those in the past. There's reasonable information about which trains had these services, but not so much about hat the services were like to ride.

fwiw, I remember it well and used it a lot.  The seating was very comfortable 2-1 with plush seating, actually aligned with windows.  FWIW in my view any 'business class' offering anywhere should be 2-1 and not these half-assed things Amtrak does on the Surfliner trains where you get the same 2-2 seating and maybe a snack box or bottle of water.

On the Metroliner club, there  was a dedicated attendant and good if not great included medals served efficiently.  For whatever reasons, I found most of the attendants to be a real cut above what one normally finds on Amtrak.  There were good at having red cap service available at NYC and WAS and all in all, it felt like and delivered a good service.

I remember one trip in WAS-NYP in the late 70's on the 10am  departure where 90% of the car was filled with passengers with baggage with Cunard Line baggage tags since  all of them were bound for the QE2 at Pier 90 later that afternoon to sail to Europe.

Does this help?

as PS,

-Yes, booze was included and I do not remember much about lounge access in those days.  It was good value for the price paid and something like this could and should be offered on the NE Regional trains today as a high revenue generator.  If Amtrak had any interest in anything.

How much more than a regular ticket did it cost, what was the variety of meals like and were beverages included?  I recall the only menu I ever found a photo of appearing to just have on the order of sandwitches. Was the attendant attending to anyone else for like cafe purposes?

A long time ago but I remember it being about double the cost of coach. The attendant did only that car and did not fill into other roles.  The meals were substantial, far more than a sandwich, not too different from what Amtrak is doing in Acela Club or whatever it is they call the top class on that train this year.  Of course, this type of pre-prepared food is far better now in terms of preparation and cooking quality than it was a few decades ago.

The booze was well done, in real glasses with frequent refills.

This being Amtrak, something was always amiss.  Tacky tattered uniforms, PA system not working,  being out of 'tea' or 'milk' etc but overall, it was a very good product.

I have some early menus in my collection - the service and meal programs evolved from the late parlor car service from the PRR and NH, particularly the PRR.  The PRR parlors from the 1950 Budd built Congressional and Senator train sets at some time not long befor or after the PC merger were outfitted to serve pre-prepared meals to parlor passengers. I do not believe they were included in the fares.  This was done around the same time the diners were removed from the NY-DC trains.  I think New Haven NY-Boston trains retained diners longer, possibly up til Amtrak.   The same type of meals/menus from the Metroliners were used by Amtrak in the Amclub service.  

My impression of Metroliner Club Service, and Club Service as offered on a few conventional trains was largely positive, as that of other posters here.u

Service was good and attentive, and food quality was impressive for being heated on the train.  On some trips going through New York Penn, two meals were served.

Over more than a couple of dozen Club Service trips, I only had one negative experience, going New Haven-Boston off the southboind Vermonter, where the food and drink were fine, but a particular attendant virtually demanded her tip.  For doing that, she got zero.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/30/26 14:42 by GenePoon.

I think 21st century Amtrak has MORE revenue opportunity it can garner, or an onboard "upcharge," if they'd think outside the box OR even just look back at their past. The Custom Class and Club Class was great - at seat meals on certain trains that ran NOT just on the NEC, but that ran on the Empire Corridor, San Diegens, etc. It was hosted within an Amtrak Amfleet car - 2+1 seating on BOTH sides of the food counter in the middle of the car etc.

The service morphed from the 1970s to the late 1990s just before Acela Express came on the scene. Remember that Acela Express not only took over for Metroliners, but did introduce a total new type of service and relevancy to the NEC. Since then, the lack of imagination for "Amtrak Business Class" and even "Amtrak First Class" on corridors is bewildering to me, let alone offering "Amtrak Business Class" on the Vermonter instead of re-branding that as a "Touring Class" of sorts (think north of New Haven). Yes, LOTS of business people take the Ethan Allen Express and Vermonter from Burlington, VT to NYP..........These are essentially LD state sponsored day trains.........offer some options as a contractor for the states to potentially buy into in their offering of service. Not saying they'll take it, but lets get passenger train travel and options into the relevancy of 2026.  

ssarcadia Wrote:
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> A long time ago but I remember it being about
> double the cost of coach. The attendant did only
> that car and did not fill into other roles.  The
> meals were substantial, far more than a sandwich,
> not too different from what Amtrak is doing in
> Acela Club or whatever it is they call the top
> class on that train this year.  Of course, this
> type of pre-prepared food is far better now in
> terms of preparation and cooking quality than it
> was a few decades ago.
>
> The booze was well done, in real glasses with
> frequent refills.
>
> This being Amtrak, something was always amiss. 
> Tacky tattered uniforms, PA system not working, 
> being out of 'tea' or 'milk' etc but overall, it
> was a very good product.

Thanks for the information, like I said it's been hard to find onlike scans documentary items like today's Acela First Class menus from the Amclub period. 

I've been interested in the evolution of so called premium products as our cost structures have changed. Through the 70's paying for the parlot car got one a larger seat and the ability to pay for en-route refresment. As the cost of "things" like food and bev dropped, those items became included while what one was paying for was a combination of the human service labor and the etherial concept of exclusivity, which could be priced based on demand. 

Travel itself was much more of a premium product both before deregulation and even up to the internet era. 90's Amclub may have been double the price of coach vs today's 4x, but Amtrak itself was a premium product with fares often being higher in inflation adjusted dollars than today's. I'm taking the Zeph from Oakland to Denver later this summer for ~$650 (only because I missed the $572 fare). That breaks down to a $130 coach fare and a $540 sleeper. In 1980 the same trip would have cost THE EXACT SAME AMOUNT in coach ($129) with only a $45 sleeper upcharge. Moreover, I don't think Amtrak was giving out companion passes like they do now so my trip would have cost $305 in 1980 or $1224 in 2026 dollars. I'm sure there were probably sales and discounts available in 1980 that don't appear on the "sample fare" chart, but its under appriciated how Amtrak travel has been turned on its head from a cost perspective.  One can see paralells in pre-deredulation airlines where the service were much better, but a coach ticket then cost the same as today's first class. 

JP as always everything you write is spot on. The math is so clear. Consider a train like the Adirondack which is torture in present for.

Coach 60 seats x $60pp
Amclub or whatever 44 x $195

But Amtrak does not care and never will. It is like expecting the folks at the DMV to run a good coffee shop. It is not in their DNA. Never are they bold or innovative. Endless decades of free government funding will do this.

Posted from Android

ssarcadia Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> JP as always everything you write is spot on. The
> math is so clear. Consider a train like the
> Adirondack which is torture in present for.
>
> Coach 60 seats x $60pp
> Amclub or whatever 44 x $195
>
> But Amtrak does not care and never will. It is
> like expecting the folks at the DMV to run a good
> coffee shop. It is not in their DNA. Never are
> they bold or innovative. Endless decades of free
> government funding will do this.
>
> Posted from Android

Here's the overview of how State Contract negotiations between State DOT's and Amtrak go each year right now:

1) Copy previous contract
2) Paste into new contract and update the dates
3) Increase the contract price (no options or add-ons presented or "what could be")
4) Sell "as is" to State DOT
5) Offer service to the best of contractor's ability, rarely with oversight from State DOT

The "Copy and Paste" each year is basic and mundane with no angle to look for increased revenue on both sides in some value-added revenue upside. If there were, we'd see changes and better alignment of service with what passengers want. It's absolutely ridiculous!!! Amtrak should offer a "menu of options" or "here are the product styles we can offer" (e.g. equipment, amenities, onboard service, etc.etc. ) to State DOT's. What options could Amtrak offer to State DOT's of what they could have as contracted service, with the revenue/expense projections, and what the upside would be with each "menu" option. This would benefit both - Amtrak and State DOT - hence the true meaning of a partnership. But nope - copy, paste, send/mail, hope for signed copy and receipt of contracted check.  

well, expect the very least and you will get it.  Two government agencies, one on each side, almost guarantees mediocrity, disinterest and inertia.

ssarcadia Wrote:
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> well, expect the very least and you will get it. 
> Two government agencies, one on each side, almost
> guarantees mediocrity, disinterest and inertia.

Unfortunately - YES! There's not a lot of passion from either side......

take anything in the 'hospitality' industry, loosely defined, that is highly praised and celebrated and you have managers and line employees at every level who care and show it daily.  With Amtrak and government agencies in general, inertia and whatever is the least amount of work rules the day.  This is one of the many reasons I think Amtrak cannot improve much no matter how billions you give them.  Sloth and indifference is baked into the DNA.

There are private companies that have had this.  Like Eastern Airlines, Penn Central, AMC cars, etc but they normally go out of business.  As they probably deserve to.

To follow up the only Metroliner Club menu I could find was from 1985 and at that point alcohol was not yet included, but a glass of wine was about $5.50 in 2026 dollars so the cost was at least fair. 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/06/26 05:22 by mbrotzman.

mbrotzman Wrote:
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> To follow up the only Metroliner Club menu I could
> find was from 1985 and at that point alcohol was
> not yet included, but a glass of wine was about
> $5.50 so the cost was at least fair. 

$5.50 for a glass of wine in 1985 was a huge amount of money.  A really good salary at that time for a professional was $20 per hour.

The original premium Metroliner servce was the 34 seat parlor cars.  I got to ride those twice as a kid.  I remember being blown away on one trip around 1980 by a rich guy leaving the parlor attendant a $100 tip with a $100 bill.  The attendant was over the moon!

abyler Wrote:
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>
> $5.50 for a glass of wine in 1985 was a huge
> amount of money.  A really good salary at that
> time for a professional was $20 per hour.

Sorry, I meant $5.50 in today's dollars. It was $1.75 then.